First steps to end hostilities in Palestine were taken today after Israel announced a daily three hours cease fire and the disposition to study the peace plan proposed by Egypt and France. Hamas, the Islamic organization which governs the Gaza Strip, is also continuing its missile campaign against Israeli territory, but admitted today that there were "positive signs but no agreement yet" with Tel Aviv, according to BBC.

Israel launched its military campaign against the Gaza Strip on December 28 -one of the most intense attacks in recent years-, after alleging Hamas had previously called off truce with Tel Aviv. For the last 10 days, Israel has blockaded the Arabic region with a brutal siege which, in spite of protests by the international community, has not allowed neither war refugees to flee the country nor humanitarian aid to flow in.

Israel has announced that from today on attacks -which have been launched mainly against Hamas offices, residential quarters, mosques, schools and other targets- will be stopped for three hours every day to allow the setting up of a corridor through which Palestinian people can have medical care and other basic needs.

Tel Aviv has declared that accepts truce "principles" included in the resolution put forward by France and Egypt, whilst Hamas says it is considering its content. The proposal, backed by the US and United Nations, is supposed to incorporate measures to stop weapons smuggling into Gaza and also end the blockade suffered by the population. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, one of the main proponents of the document, has assumed Israel and the Palestinian National Authority agree on it. However, according to Al-Jazeera, Hamas officials have said it is the resistance movement who is to say whether it accepts it, not the Palestinian Authority.

Since December 28 attacks have killed about 650 Palestinian people and over 3.000 have been wounded, according to AlertNet. As for Israelis, 10 people have died. Moves towards peace have been taken one day after Israeli army attacked a UN school in an air strike and killed 42 people under the pretext that it was used as a hideout by Hamas militants.

Further information:

• Al-Jazeera: Sarkozy: Israel accepts Gaza truce
• Haaretz.com: Clashes resume in Gaza City after 3-hour humanitarian truce
• UN News Centre: Security Council meets on Gaza fighting, Ban renews ceasefire call
• Reuters: Egypt floats truce plan after Gaza school deaths
• Nationalia: Destruction by Israel of key targets in Gaza Strip ends up in a bloodshed